Pope tells Spanish envoy all must protect rights of unborn children

Published: 2004-06-18

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II said the need to protect the life of the unborn child was a duty belonging to all people, not just Christians. "Life and its promotion are not just a prerogative for Christians," but rather are the duty of all people who "aspire to the truth and are concerned about the future of humanity," the pope said June 18 as Spain's new ambassador to the Holy See, Jorge Dezcallar de Mazarredo, presented his credentials. The pope said it was important to highlight "the incoherence of certain tendencies," which on one hand boast of being for the well-being of people, while on the other "infringe on the fundamental rights and dignity" of other human beings. He used abortion as an example. A responsible public guarantees the rights of all people and is "obligated to defend life, especially that of the weakest and most defenseless," he said. The pope's words came just three days before Spanish Prime Minister Jose Rodriguez Zapatero was set to visit the Holy Father at the Vatican.

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